The present invention relates to a magnetic head device and more particularly to a magnetic head device applied to a magnetic tape recording and/or reproducing apparatus and other magnetic recording medium apparatus, and a means for cleaning a sliding surface of a magnetic head which is provided in the magnetic head device.
A recording medium runs on such sliding surface of the magnetic head while a sliding portion of the sliding surface slides on the recording medium while recording or reproducing data on it. An object such as dust and/or magnetic dust can adhere on the sliding surface of the magnetic head. Such dust is produced as a result of friction of the sliding portion with the recording medium, this friction being caused during such sliding. Another cause of such dust is that such dust is carried from outside by adhering to the recording medium.
Leaving such dust on the sliding surface, particularly leaving such dust on a magnetic gap provided on the sliding surface of the magnetic head, may degrade a recording and/or reproducing performance of the magnetic head. Further, a head core, which constitutes the magnetic head, and the recording medium are scraped as a result of sliding the head core on the recording medium with such dust between them. This scraping can result in reducing their life cycles.
Thus, it is necessary to keep the sliding surface clean at all time. For this purpose, such treatment as scouring such dust off by means of a finger with cloth wound on the finger, has been performed. However, there is such a type of a recording and/or reproducing apparatus as applied to a car audio system, which system is made to be so compact in construction as to be appropriate for limited space in a car. It is hard to scour a sliding surface of a magnetic head of a magnetic head device integrated into such a recording and/or reproducing apparatus as for the car audio system, because it is hard to insert a finger in to reach the sliding surface of the magnetic head, which is included such a compact construction. Therefore, it is necessary to utilize a cleaning tape or a cleaning brush for cleaning of a sliding surface of a magnetic head periodically, both of which are made particularly for this cleaning.
Another method of keeping clean of a sliding surface of a magnetic head device has been known. This method is that a cleaning means is integrated in a magnetic head device itself. A sliding surface of it is cleaned automatically by utilizing an operation of a recording and/or reproducing apparatus such as a driving operation of a recording medium or an inserting or ejecting operation of a cassette of the recording medium (magnetic tape) in the cleaning means.
The Japanese Utility Model Application No. 51-19855, for example, discloses such a cleaning means wherein a cleaning member provided on a nose of a pivoting arm slides on a sliding surface of a magnetic head device automatically so as to clean the sliding surface. The pivoting arm is driven because an inserting or ejecting operation of a cassette of a magnetic tape is utilized for driving it.
Substantially the same method as the above mentioned method is also disclosed in the Japanese Published Utility Model Application No. 48-21608, and one of the applicants of this application also disclosed substantially the same method as the above mentioned method in the Japanese Published Utility Model Application No. 51-7087.
A problem involved in the above mentioned method is described below. The problem is caused by a pushing action of a cleaning member such as a brush or felt cloth onto a sliding surface of a magnetic head device. This action is performed while the cleaning member provided on a nose of a pivoting arm slides on the sliding surface as a result of pivoting action of the pivoting arm. A position of the magnetic head in a recording and/or reproducing apparatus can be displaced with respect to a running course of a magnetic recording medium as a result of the above mentioned action. This displacement of the position of the magnetic head can disable the magnetic recording medium from running on a magnetic gap provided on a sliding surface of the magnetic head in a precise course. As a result of this, a precise recording and/or reproducing of data on the recording medium can be disabled, and this can cause degradation of an audio quality or image quality.
A certain rectification is necessary if such displacement of the magnetic head, and particularly displacement of a head core of the magnetic head, or variation of an angle of a magnetic gap of the magnetic head, occurs with respect to the running course of the magnetic recording medium. This rectification is called azimuth adjustment and is necessary to have a high accuracy in a rectification of a head core position or a magnetic gap angle. Such an azimuth adjustment involves a special operation, in which highly accurate instruments and tools are used, and cannot be performed easily by a normal user.